ABSTRACT
Research and experience show that a comprehensive effort to keep students in school depends on three fundamental com ponents: strong family involvement, good early childhood edu cation, and the development of solid reading and writing skills. This common core of strategies establishes the framework on which all other initiatives build. When they are in place, other programs can move forward strongly. When they are lacking, other strategies falter. Schools and communities that seek to re duce the number of students who drop out of school must start here.
